Chapter 3 - Chapter 3: Blood of the Final Sun

The sun rose slowly on the horizon, but in the lands of the eight clans, no one wished to witness its dawn. The massive 100,000-strong army from the outer realms stood poised to face the 20,000 warriors of the eight clans. The camp around the temple buzzed with war preparations; warriors donned their armor, archers took their positions, and children and elders were hidden deep within the temple. Yet whispers of fear spread everywhere. "How can we stand against such a vast army?" murmured a Zhang Clan warrior. "We're all going to die," whispered a mother, clutching her child to her chest. Fear permeated every corner of the camp.Xiao Feng climbed onto a raised platform in the temple courtyard, standing where all the clans could see him. His shadow qi shimmered faintly around him, his eyes blazing with determination. "My clans!" he called out, his voice both powerful and emotional. "Today, survival here is impossible, and we all know it. But we cannot surrender these lands, where we've lived for centuries, lands soaked with the blood of our ancestors, without shedding a single drop of our own! The outer realms come to destroy us, but we will not yield! If we must die, we will die fighting! If our children and grandchildren are to live freely on these lands one day, it will be because of the blood we spill today! Let us cast aside our fear and fight in a way worthy of our ancestors' spirits!"Xiao Feng's words ignited a fire in the hearts of the clans. The whispers of fear gave way to battle cries. A Xiao Clan warrior raised his sword, shouting, "We will fight!" A Feng Clan archer yelled, "We'll die for our lands!" Even the children, breaking free from their mothers' arms, cried out, "We won't surrender!" The people of the eight clans now voiced not their fears but their desire to fight. Xiao Feng's speech had motivated them; they were now eager to battle.The awaited moment finally arrived. The sun rose, casting a golden light across the horizon. The outer realm army was about ten minutes away. The trees, the animals, everything in the area fell silent, as if aware of what was to come. Not a single sound could be heard; even the breaths of the people were audible. Xiao Feng, as promised, took the lead, his shadow qi swirling around him like a storm. "Attack!" he roared, his voice shaking the battlefield.The outer realm commanders exchanged stunned glances. Instead of defending with their 20,000-strong army, the eight clans had launched a direct assault. "This is madness!" shouted one commander, but Xiao Feng and his army were already charging toward them.The armies clashed, and the battle began. The first collision echoed like thunder; swords clashed, spears flew through the air, and arrows darkened the sky. Xiao Feng wielded his shadow qi like a spear, cutting down enemies at the front lines. Each move was lethal; he pierced one outer realm warrior's chest, then severed another's arm. "For Zhang Tao!" he shouted with every strike, the memory of his beloved fueling his strength. But the outer realm army held an overwhelming numerical advantage. Each clan warrior had to face at least five enemies.Feng Xiu summoned her wind qi, creating a tornado that scattered enemy ranks, clearing a path for the clan warriors. "Forward!" she cried, but an outer realm archer took aim at her. An arrow struck her shoulder, yet she didn't falter. She pulled the arrow out with her wind qi and continued fighting. Li Mei unleashed her flame qi, creating a wave of fire that reduced dozens of enemies to ash. "These lands are ours!" she roared, but an outer realm commander charged at her with a massive spear. Li Mei tried to block it with her flames, but the spear pierced her chest. "No!" Wang Shu shouted, but Li Mei collapsed, her eyes open as she drew her final breath.Chen Jian carved through enemy ranks with his sword, but a group of outer realm warriors surrounded him. "You can't stop me!" he bellowed, but a spear struck his back, and a sword pierced his chest. Chen Jian fell to his knees, his sword slipping from his hand. With his last breath, he whispered, "Xiao Feng, win," before his lifeless body hit the ground.Liu Wei summoned vines with his nature qi, trying to bind the enemies, but an outer realm cavalryman charged at him on horseback. The vines couldn't stop the horse; the rider's spear pierced Liu Wei's heart. As he fell, Liu Wei murmured, "Protect our lands," and his eyes closed.The battle turned into a massacre. The eight clans' army, though outnumbered, fought bravely, but the outer realm army pressed on relentlessly. Hours passed, and the ground turned red with blood. Of the 20,000 clan warriors, only 6,000 remained alive. Li Mei, Chen Jian, and Liu Wei had fallen; only Xiao Feng, Feng Xiu, and Wang Shu survived. Xiao Feng continued fighting at the forefront, but exhaustion was overtaking his body. His shadow qi remained strong, but each strike grew slower, each movement more labored.At that moment, an outer realm commander attacked Xiao Feng with a massive sword. Xiao Feng formed a shield with his shadow qi, but the sword shattered it, carving a deep wound across his chest. Xiao Feng fell to the ground, covered in blood. The commander raised his sword, "This is your end, clan leader!" he shouted, preparing to deliver the killing blow, when a terrifying sound from the sky captured everyone's attention.The sky darkened instantly, the clouds turning crimson. That familiar, dreadful scream echoed: the shadows from the Immortal Realm descended upon the battlefield. Their tattered cloaks billowed in the wind, their eyes glowed like flames, and their black claws radiated death. The shadows were furious; it seemed the legend had come true. They began killing indiscriminately, sparing no one in their path. One shadow tore through an outer realm warrior's chest with its claws; another lifted a clan warrior into the air and ripped them in half. "Run!" shouted an outer realm commander, but the shadows showed no mercy.Xiao Feng, lying on the ground, saw the shadows approaching him. But instead of harming him, they surrounded him. The shadows protected Xiao Feng, killing anyone who came near, friend or foe alike. An outer realm warrior tried to attack Xiao Feng, but a shadow severed the warrior's head with a single claw strike. A clan warrior, approaching Xiao Feng by mistake, was torn apart by a shadow. The shadows had formed a protective barrier around Xiao Feng, but this protection brought more death amidst the chaos.The outer realm commanders, witnessing the shadows' wrath, fell into panic. "Retreat! Retreat!" they shouted, pulling their armies back. The sky was now completely covered with shadows, as if waiting to descend to the earth, watching their prey like hunters. Xiao Feng wanted to break free from the shadows encasing him like a shield. He was worried about his clans, desperate to know if they were still alive. Despite his blood loss, he gathered all his strength and stepped out from the shadows' protection.At that moment, all the shadows in the sky descended to the earth. Within minutes, the battlefield turned into a graveyard. The shadows devastated the outer realm army; 80,000 of the 100,000 soldiers perished under their claws. Bodies littered the battlefield; blood covered the ground like a river. The shadows showed no mercy to the clan members either; of the 6,000 clan survivors, only 1,000 remained. Xiao Feng, Feng Xiu, and Wang Shu were still alive, but most of their clans had been wiped out.The shadows suddenly stopped. They turned to the bodies littering the battlefield, the lifeless forms of Li Mei, Chen Jian, Liu Wei, and thousands of other clan members. With their claws, they gently grasped the corpses and began carrying them into the sky. Feng Xiu shouted, her voice filled with fear and confusion, "Our dead, where are they taking them?" Wang Shu asked, "Xiao Feng, what's happening?" But Xiao Feng, amidst the shadows, could only watch. The shadows carried the bodies into the sky and vanished, as if they were a dream. The battlefield was now left with only the survivors and the blood-soaked earth.Seeing the shadows depart, the outer realm army watched the battlefield from a distance, close enough to see the clans. Most of the bodies had been taken by the shadows, but what remained told the story of the battle's brutality: blood-covered ground, broken weapons, and silence. The war had ended in a massacre. Xiao Feng, weakened by blood loss, lost his balance, fell to his knees, and collapsed. Feng Xiu and Wang Shu rushed to his side, shouting, "Xiao Feng!" A few surviving clan members came to lift their leader. Xiao Feng struggled to open his eyes, a faint smile appearing on his bloodied face. "You, you're alive, my love?" he whispered, speaking Zhang Tao's name as his eyes closed...